1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to the deletion of files on a computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically when a snapshot is taken of a file system, for example, by a system restore point snapshot function, a point in time copy of the file system is stored on the computer system as a snapshot file, i.e., a digital snapshot file. Rather than making complete copies of each of the files each time a snapshot is taken, some snapshot systems store changes made to a base version of a file in a diff area generated in the file system.
In these systems, a snapshot of a file references the base version of the file stored in the file system and any changes made to the file that are stored in the diff area of the file system. Consequently, the diff area grows with changes to the file system, and is referenced to the base versions of the files in the file system, so that the combination provides a version of the files in the file system at the particular point in time the snapshot was taken.
Currently, when a file is deleted, such as through a conventional file deletion, the file system record associated with the file is marked as deleted, and the base version of the file is moved into the diff area. Thus, a digital snapshot of the deleted file referencing the raw data of the base version of the file remains on the computer system. Additionally, any earlier snapshots of the file also remain on the computer system.